New York Times best-selling authors Rebecca Yarros and Stacey Abrams headline the November 8 festival, featuring more than 80 authors across 10 stages.
Portland, Ore. (August 26, 2025) — Literary Arts is pleased to announce the authors appearing at the 2025 Portland Book Festival, happening on Saturday, November 8, in downtown Portland’s South Park Blocks. The number-one New York Times best-selling author Rebecca Yarros (Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, Onyx Storm), in conversation with Laini Taylor, and American politician and New York Times best-selling author Stacey Abrams (Coded Justice), in conversation with Dave Miller, will appear in separate ticketed headliner events at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.
The festival will feature on-stage author discussions with over 80 featured authors, drop-in writing workshops, pop-up readings, a book fair and local food trucks. The fourth annual Cover to Cover book events will take place around the city from November 1 to November 9. These events are organized by community partners across the city to expand the festival into a weeklong event.
“We’re thrilled to present the 2025 Portland Book Festival at a time when broad access to literature and meaningful dialogue are more important than ever,” says Andrew Proctor, executive director of Literary Arts. “The festival remains a vital place for readers and writers to come together to celebrate diverse stories that connect, challenge and inspire us.”
“Each year, Portland Book Festival showcases the authors that speak to our moment in history, bringing together emerging voices, beloved authors and diverse perspectives,” says Amanda Bullock, senior artistic director, Portland Book Festival. “In 2025, we’ve curated an exciting lineup of authors who challenge our imagination and bring us together as a community.”
General admission passes are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. Youth 17 and under, those with a valid high school ID, veterans and active military receive free admission. Arts for All passes are available for $5 for those receiving SNAP benefits. Festival passes available here.
2025 PORTLAND BOOK FESTIVAL AUTHOR LINEUP
Fiction:
Stacey Abrams, Coded Justice | Emily Adrian, Seduction Theory | Kristen Arnett, Stop Me if You’ve Heard This One | Olufunke Grace Bankole, The Edge of Water | Quan Barry, The Unveiling | Emma Donoghue, The Paris Express | Angela Flournoy, The Wilderness | Jasmine Guillory, Flirting Lessons | Adib Khorram, It Had to Be Him | Katie Kitamura, Audition | Patricia Lockwood, Will There Ever Be Another You | Cleyvis Natera, The Grand Paloma Resort | Anna North, Bog Queen | Emma Pattee, Tilt | Eliana Ramage, To The Moon and Back | Jon Raymond, God and Sex | Karen Russell, The Antidote | Souvankham Thammavongsa, Pick a Color | Theodore C. Van Alst Jr., The El | Jess Walter, So Far Gone | Daniel H. Wilson, Hole in the Sky | Rebecca Yarros, Onyx Storm | Leni Zumas, Wolf Bells
Nonfiction:
Nicholas Boggs, Baldwin: A Love Story | Jason De León, Soldiers and Kings: Survival and Hope in the World of Human Smuggling | Omar El Akkad, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This | Melissa Febos, The Dry Season: A Memoir of Pleasure in a Year Without Sex | Jill Lepore, We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution | Tyler Malek, America’s Most Iconic Ice Creams: A Salt & Straw Cookbook | Joshua McFadden, Six Seasons of Pasta | Julian Brave NoiseCat, We Survived the Night | Susan Orlean, Joyride | Tara Roberts, Written in the Waters: A Memoir of History, Home, and Belonging | Chyana Marie Sage, Soft as Bones | Craig Thompson, Ginseng Roots | Lidia Yuknavitch, Reading the Waves
Poetry:
Reginald Dwayne Betts, Doggerel | Taylor Byas, Resting Bitch Face | Pádraig Ó Tuama, Kitchen Hymns | m. mick powell, Dead Girl Cameo | Patricia Smith, The Intentions of Thunder | Mai Der Vang, Primordial
Young Adult:
Aashna Avachat, Love Craves Cardamom| Kalynn Bayron, Make Me a Monster | Alanna Bennett, The Education of Kia Greer | Alexis Castellanos, Lemons and Lies | Courtney Gould, What the Woods Took | Marissa Meyer, The House Saphir | Dustin Thao, You’ve Found Oliver | Trang Thanh Tran, They Bloom at Night
Middle Grade:
Derrick Barnes, The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze | Michael Buckley and Forrest Burdett, The Weirdies | Nidhi Chanani, Super Boba Cafe #2: Home Sea Home | Jonathan Hill, Lizard Boy 2 | Brándon Hoang, Minecraft: One Last Quest | G.T. Karber, Murdle Jr.: Sleuths on the Loose and Murdle Jr.: Ready Set Solve! | Jose Pimienta, Halfway to Somewhere | Aron Nels Steinke, Speechless | Misa Sugiura, Momo Arashima Duels the Queen of Death | Shana Targosz, River of Spirits | Renée Watson, All the Blues in the Sky
Picture Book:
Zoey Abbott, The Kite Collector and This Year, a Witch!| Vera Ahiyya, Getting Ready for First Grade and Getting Ready for Halloween | Emily Arrow, Dear Bookstore | Derrick Barnes, I Got You | Michelle Jing Chan, Weiwei’s Winter Solstice: A Dōngzhì Story | Nora Ericson, The Bunny Ballet | Donna Barba Higuera, The Unlikely Aventuras of Ramón and El Cucuy and Xolo | Tae Keller and Rachel Wada, We Carry the Sun | Curtis Manley and Tracy Subisak, Grace Builds an Almost-Perfect Dog | Dan Santat, The Day the Books Disappeared | Carrie Tillotson, Alpacas Here, Alpacas There | Rachel Michelle Wilson, To Catch a Ghost
Pop-Up Authors:
Karleigh Frisbie Brogan, Holding | Amanda Hawkins, When I Say the Bones I Mean the Bones | Justin Hocking, A Field Guide to the Subterranean | Sara Jaffe, Hurricane Envy | Ever Jones, Transanything | Jennifer Perrine, Beautiful Outlaw | Keith Rosson, Coffin Moon | Leah Sottile, Blazing Eye Sees All | Gabriel Urza, The Silver State | Lisa Wells, The Fire Passage | and more to be announced.
Moderators:
Breena Bard, Vera Brosgol, Danielle Bylund (Multnomah County Library), Jenn Chávez (OPB), Emily Chenoweth, Katherine Cusumano, Allison Frost (OPB), Jess Hazel (OPB),Genevieve Hudson, Mitchell S. Jackson, Mat Johnson, Anita Kelly, Megan Lally, Chris La Tray, Annie Lewis (Multnomah County Library), Crystal Ligori (OPB), Kimiko Matsuda, Dave Miller (OPB), Jae Nichelle, Daniel Nieh, Geoff Norcross (OPB), Kimberly King Parsons, Andrew Proctor, Alicia Jo Rabins, Kate Ristau, Rachel Saslow (Willamette Week), Heidi Schulz, Aaron Scott (OPB), Madeline Shier, Marisa Siegel, Cheryl Strayed, Emily Suvada, Alicia Tate (Multnomah County Library), Laini Taylor, Sonja Thomas, Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya, Renée Watson, Cecily Wong, and more to be announced.
Portland Book Festival lineup and schedule are subject to change. Find full author details, ways to volunteer, and sign up for e-news updates at pdxbookfest.org. Our indie bookselling partners are Annie Bloom’s Books, Broadway Books, Literary Arts Bookstore and Powell’s Books.
TICKETS TO PORTLAND BOOK FESTIVAL:
Special access to shop the exhibitor book fair early while enjoying an evening of special giveaways, craft beverage sampling, and more at Readers Night on Friday, November 7, may be purchased separately for $25. Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall special events featuring Rebecca Yarros and Stacey Abrams can be added on to General Admission Festival Passes for just $5 each for general admission tickets, or including a book for $35 each. Events at the Newmark Theatre featuring Nicholas Boggs (Baldwin: A Love Story), Emma Donoghue (The Paris Express), Angela Flournoy (The Wilderness), Jill Lepore (We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution), and Susan Orlean (Joyride: A Memoir) offer the chance to purchase a book add-on (prices range from $22 to $35) for a guaranteed seat and a copy of the featured book.
- General Admission Festival Passes* are $18 in advance and $25 at the door (plus fees). Youth 17 & under, those with a valid high school ID, veterans and active military receive free general admission. Arts for All passes are available for $5 for those receiving SNAP benefits.
- VIP All Access Pass ($270 + fees) includes VIP wristband, Readers Night preview ticket, all Newmark books, VIP seating and books for Rebecca Yarros and Stacey Abrams, a $5 book fair voucher, and a tote bag.
- Umbrella Pass Schnitzer Bundle ($110 + fees) includes the General Admission Festival Pass and tickets with books to the Rebecca Yarros and Stacey Abrams events, a $5 book fair voucher, and a tote bag.
All general admission passes include admission to the Portland Art Museum; full-priced passes include a $5 voucher that can be used at the book fair or any festival on-site bookstores. *Advertised rates do not include online processing and transaction fees for non-discounted purchases. Visit pdxbookfest.org for more information.
